*Andrew Brown at the 2022 MHSAA Middle School Classic
TUPELO, Miss. --- The legacy of the Brown brothers finally began at the 2022 Tupelo "End-of-season" prep meet.
At the 2022 MHSAA Middle School Classic, we spoke with the Browns' coach, David Wheeler of Tupelo High School, after Andrew Brown soloed a 9:22 3K state record (10:04 3200m convert), defending his large school state title in the process.
READ NEXT: Meet Recap: 2022 MHSAA Middle School Classic
Coach Wheeler quoted that Taylor Brown would pace his little brother to "something within his wheelhouse,"... maybe somewhere around 16:40 or so.
The result? Taylor Brown for the win in 16:04.1, with Andrew right behind in 16:05.9.
Andrew is now ranked as the No. 2 eighth-grader in the country in the 5K and the No. 2 fastest eighth-grader in Mississippi history.
RANKINGS: United State 8th-grade Boys 5K List
Who is he behind in Mississippi history? Tupelo High School's Taylor Brown.
ALL-TIME RANKINGS: Mississippi 8th-Grade Boys 5K List
Oxford's Bailey Kosko, a sophomore who just went 16:02.0 at the 2022 Watson Cross Country Classic, was third in 16:07.0, and 16:03 5K runner Parker Shannon of Saltillo was fourth in 16:15.5.
"We took it as a workout.", quoted Taylor Brown. "We went into the race planning to go 90 percent effort and run 5:10 mile pace. The pace felt easy the whole way, and we just kicked a little the last 100 meters."
Saltillo High School took the narrow victory over Tupelo High School. 37-40. Neither squads were at full force.
In the High School Girls competition, Brookelyn Morgan returned to her winning ways to cross the finish line in 19:31.4, nearly 60 seconds in front of the next competitor.
Saltillo High School, led by MHSAA 5A standout Anna Caroline Crouch, took the team title over Tupelo High School, 52-67.
Weston Woods of TCPS and Carrie Anne Brown of Tupelo took the individual titles in junior high competition, while Tupelo High School swept the team titles.